Conflicting economic data leads stocks slightly lower

Stocks fell slightly today as an unexpectedly poor reading from the Conference Board's gauge of consumer confidence outweighed the news that home prices in the nation's 20 biggest markets posted a monthly increase for the first time in three years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 12 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 9,097. Seventeen of the DJIA's 30 stocks fell, with pharmaceutical giants Pfizer (PFE) and Merck (MRK) among the biggest losers.